It’s the ultimate do-it-yourself project.

Except this project undertaken by the UW Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) doesn’t involve fixing a broken appliance or painting a room. The group’s project involves flying around a racetrack at more than 100 mph, competing against racing teams from all over the world and engineering a vehicle that can corner faster than Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Porsches.

SAE has undertaken the construction of an open-cockpit, Formula-style racecar for 20 years now. The group unveiled its latest creation last night in Kane Hall.

Starting every summer with logistical planning for the team, the members of SAE build a racecar from the ground up, and then enter the car in various competitions around the country. The entire process is student-run, with team members doing everything from design and manufacturing to finding sponsors and racing.

There are six teams that make up SAE, focusing on the six technical areas of the car — aerodynamics, chassis, engine, drivetrain, suspension, data acquisition and driver interface. Each team has a lead — generally someone who was a member the previous year and already has experience working on that particular team.

But the group that gets to drive the car is picked according to a different standard.

“That group is picked solely on times,” said junior and SAE Administrative Director Ryan Trickett. “When we start the year off, we have an open drive — every member of the team gets behind the wheel of last year’s car. We set up a course — generally easy compared to most — [and] generally 20 people go out. Maybe one or two shine out of that group.”

The fastest drivers are then subjected to a much more difficult course to test their skill.

“It’s very rewarding; these cars are extremely quick,” Trickett said. “Every person on the driving crew has to be taught how to drive these things; it’s not like getting in your car and going out to Dairy Queen.”

Involvement in SAE can be a serious time commitment. Leads generally work on the car about 20 hours per week, while the members who have double responsibilities — working as leads and as part of the driver training crew — put in as many as 40 to 50 hours per week. But the experience gained in leadership and management makes it worthwhile, Trickett said.

Last night was the second year SAE has hosted an unveiling event for the car. The event, which included slideshows and videos of the manufacturing process, gave the team a chance to thank its sponsors and let everyone connected with the project see the car for the first time.

This is the first year the UW will attempt two competitions. They’ll compete in their traditional race in Fontana, Calif., at the beginning of June, but will race for the first time in Detroit, Mich., about a month from now.

In competition, Trickett said, the UW team usually places in the top five; last year was their worst showing when the UW team placed 17th out of 80 teams in California.

Trickett said that according to a European team that has allegedly found a way to calculate the overall rankings of all SAE teams, the UW team ranks third in the world.

UW President Mark Emmert, the only non-student speaker for the evening, said he wished the SAE program had been around when he was a student at the UW. He sees it as an incredible learning experience and would have loved to participate. He also said that at one point in his life, he had to choose between graduate school and pursuing a career as a racecar driver.

“I happen to like most anything that’s purple and gold, but if it’s purple and gold and goes really fast, I like it a lot,” he told the crowd.

For many, the idea of building a racecar may seem like a hobbyist’s ideal, but for first-year member Mike Daniels, part of the suspension team, the project also means practical experience he will take with him as he begins to look for work.

“Everything I did took three times the amount of work I expected,” Daniels said. “But seeing it completed was that much more amazing, that much more exciting.”

Reach reporter Molly Rosbach at news@dailyuw.com.